At the beginning of eighteenth century, Indian nations were interacting with many European nations which had invaded the Americas and had claimed for themselves Indian land. By 1725 the Europeans, particularly the French, were moving inland and were trading with the Indian nations of the central and southern Plains.
Briefly described below are some of the American Indian events of 300 years ago, 1725.
Visiting Paris
One of the customs of the European invaders was to take a select group of Indians, often chiefs, back to Europe to impress them with European wonders. When the Indians returned home, they could tell tales of the magnificent European culture which would help reduce resistance to the European invasion. In 1725 a group of Central Plains Indians, including one Otoe, one Osage, one Missouri chief, one Missouri young woman, one Illinois, one Chicagou, and one Metchegamias, were taken to Paris, France. There they met with the Director of the Company of the Indies, and the Duke and Duchess de Bourbon. The chiefs were given a complete French outfit which included a blue dress coat, silver ornaments, and a plumed hat trimmed in silver.
The Indians were then presented to King Louis XV, and they performed a dance at the opera. The French King gave each of the chiefs a royal medallion, a rifle, a sword, and a watch.
Kiowa
The modern horse spread from the Spanish settlements in the southwest. Following trade routes from Taos Pueblo, the horse was traded to the Utes and the Comanches and then to their linguistic relatives, the Paiutes and the Shoshones. With the horse, the vast buffalo herds of the Great Plains became a great “supermarket” used by many different tribes. This also meant that the potential for conflict over hunting territories increased and subsequently there was an increase in inter-tribal warfare.
The Kiowas speak a language which linguists classify as a part of the Tanoan language family and is thus related to the Pueblos of Taos, Jemez, Isleta, and San Idelfonso in New Mexico. By 1725, the Kiowas in Kansas had obtained enough horses to become mounted buffalo hunters. They were obtaining their horses from the Wichitas and Caddos.
Among the Kiowas, there were three kinds of horses: (1) those which were used as pack animals, (2) those which were ridden by the family, and (3) those which were used for hunting, war, and racing. According to anthropologist Bernard Mishkin, in his book Rank and Warfare Among the Plains Indians:
“The average household of some five adults with a well-balanced herd of ideal size owned approximately ten pack animals, five riding animals and two to five buffalo horses.”
Yanktonai Dakota
In North Dakota, the Yanktonai Dakotas established their winter villages on the James River.
Piankashaw
In Indiana, the Piankashaws moved their village from a location near the present-day city of Lafayette downstream to a location near the mouth of the Vermilion River.
More American Indian histories
Indians 101: Natchez Indians 300 years ago, 1725
Indians 101: American Indians and the English 300 years ago, 1724
Indians 101: American Indians and Europeans 300 years ago, 1723
Indians 101: Indians and Europeans 300 years ago, 1722
Indians 101: American Indians 300 years ago, 1721
Indians 101: The Cherokees 300 years ago, 1721
Indians 201: The Tuscaroras join the Iroquois League
Indians 201: The Iroquois Peace, 1700-1713
